The present disclosure relates generally, but not exclusively, to methods and systems capable of validating the identity of the user of a mobile telephone.
When a consumer conducts a telephone call with a consumer services representative, such as an issuing bank consumer services representative, it is often a requirement that the identity of the consumer be validated.
Conventionally, this involves the consumer services representative asking a series of security questions in order to verify the identity of the consumer. This process can be lengthy and inefficient. In addition, the consumer may not be able to answer all the questions due to missing data, which can increase consumer frustration.
Alternatively, and in some cases additionally, the telephone number from which the consumer is calling is identified by the consumer services representative and compared with any telephone numbers that the consumer services representative has on record which are known by the consumer services representative to be associated with the consumer. This requires the consumer services representative to have access to a consumer profile or record, for each of their consumers, which must contain the consumer telephone number. Unfortunately, this does not obviate the need for security questions as only the telephone number is validated. There is limited value, in terms of security, in validating the telephone number alone as the identity of the consumer making the telephone call is not directly validated.
Short Message Service (SMS) validation is a further known method for validating the identity of the consumer. Conventional SMS validation requires the consumer services representative to issue a validation code to a mobile device known to belong to a particular consumer via SMS. The consumer is required to return the code to the consumer services representative via some conventional means, such as through an online portal or spoken during a telephone call with the consumer services representative, so as to prove that the consumer is in possession of the mobile device to which the SMS has been sent. This requires the consumer services representative to have a consumer profile for each consumer which must contain the consumer telephone number. Additionally, means for generating and sending a code to the consumer via SMS, such as a SMS gateway in communication with a server, are also required.
The SMS validation process also does not eliminate the need for security questions as the consumer services representative would first need to know enough information about the consumer so as to be able to obtain the correct consumer record in order to be able to obtain the telephone number to which the SMS code should be sent. Additionally, only the consumer's possession of the mobile device is directly validated. There is only limited value, in terms of security, in validating the consumer's possession of the mobile device alone as the identity of the consumer making the telephone call is not directly validated.
The above methods of validating the identity of the consumer are all limited in that they are inefficient and provide only limited security. Accordingly, there is a need for an improved method and system for validating the identity of a consumer during a telephone call to a consumer services representative.